Easter-won

Reputation : 1

In HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II, Sixth Sunday of Easter, 16 May 2004

" Gianna Beretta Molla was a simple, but more than ever, significant messenger of divine love. In a letter to her future husband a few days before their marriage, she wrote: "Love is the most beautiful sentiment the Lord has put into the soul of men and women".

Following the example of Christ, who "having loved his own... loved them to the end" (Jn 13: 1), this holy mother of a family remained heroically faithful to the commitment she made on the day of her marriage. The extreme sacrifice she sealed with her life testifies that only those who have the courage to give of themselves totally to God and to others are able to fulfil themselves.

Through the example of Gianna Beretta Molla, may our age rediscover the pure, chaste and fruitful beauty of conjugal love, lived as a response to the divine call!"

Last edited by Easter-won on Mon May 17, 2010 5:15 pm; edited 1 time in total

Easter-won

Reputation : 1

Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962)

Gianna Beretta was born in Magenta (Milan) October 4, 1922. Already as a youth she willingly accepted the gift of faith and the clearly Christian education that she received from her excellent parents. As a result, she experienced life as a marvellous gift from God, had a strong faith in Providence and was convinced of the necessity and effectiveness of prayer.

She diligently dedicated herself to studies during the years of her secondary and university education, while, at the same time, applying her faith through generous apostolic service among the youth of Catholic Action and charitable work among the elderly and needy as a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. After earning degrees in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Pavia in 1949, she opened a medical clinic in Mesero (near Magenta) in 1950. She specialized in Pediatrics at the University of Milan in 1952 and there after gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly and poor.

While working in the field of medicine-which she considered a “mission” and practiced as such-she increased her generous service to Catholic Action, especially among the “very young” and, at the same time, expressed her joie de vivre and love of creation through skiing and mountaineering. Through her prayers and those of others, she reflected upon her vocation, which she also considered a gift from God. Having chosen the vocation of marriage, she embraced it with complete enthusiasm and wholly dedicated herself “to forming a truly Christian family”.

She became engaged to Pietro Molla and was radiant with joy and happiness during the time of their engagement, for which she thanked and praised the Lord. They were married on September 24, 1955, in the Basilica of St. Martin in Magenta, and she became a happy wife. In November 1956, to her great joy, she became the mother of Pierluigi, in December 1957 of Mariolina; in July 1959 of Laura. With simplicity and equilibrium she harmonized the demands of mother, wife, doctor and her passion for life.

In September 1961 towards the end of the second month of pregnancy, she was touched by suffering and the mystery of pain; she had developed a fibroma in her uterus. Before the required surgical operation, and conscious of the risk that her continued pregnancy brought, she pleaded with the surgeon to save the life of the child she was carrying, and entrusted herself to prayer and Providence. The life was saved, for which she thanked the Lord. She spent the seven months remaining until the birth of the child in incomparable strength of spirit and unrelenting dedication to her tasks as mother and doctor. She worried that the baby in her womb might be born in pain, and she asked God to prevent that.

A few days before the child was due, although trusting as always in Providence, she was ready to give her life in order to save that of her child: “If you must decided between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child - I insist on it. Save him”. On the morning of April 21, 1962, Gianna Emanuela was born. Despite all efforts and treatments to save both of them, on the morning of April 28, amid unspeakable pain and after repeated exclamations of “Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you», the mother died. She was 39 years old. Her funeral was an occasion of profound grief, faith and prayer. The Servant of God lies in the cemetery of Mesero (4 km from Magenta).

“Conscious immolation», was the phrase used by Pope Paul VI to define the act of Blessed Gianna, remembering her at the Sunday Angelus of September 23, 1973, as: “A young mother from the diocese of Milan, who, to give life to her daughter, sacrificed her own, with conscious immolation”. The Holy Father in these words clearly refers to Christ on Calvary and in the Eucharist.

Gianna was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1994, during the international Year of the Family.

Easter-won

Reputation : 1

Canonization

Gianna was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1994, and officially canonized as a saint on May 16, 2004. Gianna's husband Pietro and their last child, Gianna, were present at the canonization ceremony.The miracle recognized by the Catholic Church to canonize Gianna Molla involved a mother, Elizabeth Comparini, who was 16 weeks pregnant in 2003 and sustained a tear in her placenta that drained her womb of all amniotic fluid. Because a normal term of pregnancy is 40 weeks, Comparini was told by her doctors the baby's chance of survival was "nil."Through praying to Gianna Molla and asking for her intercession, Comparini delivered by Caesarean a healthy baby despite the lack of amniotic fluid for the remainder of her pregnancy.In his homily at her canonization Mass, Pope John Paul II called Gianna "a simple, but more than ever, significant messenger of divine love."[2]

PatronageSt. Gianna is a patron saint for mothers, physicians, and unborn children.

Prayers of Saint Gianna Molla

God our Father we praise You and we bless you because in St Gianna Beretta Molla you have given us one who witnessed to the Gospel as a young women, as a wife, as a mother, and as a doctor. We thank you because through the gift of her life we can learn to welcome and honor every human person.

You, Lord Jesus, were for Gianna a splendid example.She learned to recognize you in the beauty of nature.As she was questioning her choice of vocation she wentin search of you and the best way to serve you.Through her married love she became a sign ofyour love for the Church and for humanity.Like you, the Good Samaritan, she cared for everyonewho was sick, small or weak. Following your example, out of love she gave herself entirely,generating new life.

Holy Spirit, Source of every perfection, give us wisdom, intelligence, and courage so that, following the example of Saint Gianna and through her intercession, we may know how to place ourselves at the service of each person we meet in our personal, family and professional lives, and thus grow in love and holiness.Amen.

Reflections of St Gianna Molla

"Whatever God wants".

"If one were to consider how much Jesus has suffered, one would not commit the smallest sin."

"When one does one's own duty, one must not be concerned, because God's help will not be lacking".

"Our body is a cenacle, a monstrance: through its crystal the world should see God."

"The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for all that He, in His goodness, sends to us day after day."

"God's Providence is in all things, it's always present."

"Lord, keep Your grace in my heart. Live in me so that Your grace be mine. Make it that I may bear every day some flowers and new fruit".

"One earns Paradise with one's daily task".

"Why do you not succeed in doing good? It's because you do not pray enough."

"Also in suffering, let us say: Thanks be to God." for them. They are ready for everything, even to give their own blood so that their babies grow up good, healthy and strong ".

"Why do you not succeed in doing good? It's because you do not pray enough."

"0 Mary, into your maternal hands I place myself and I abandon myself completely, sure of obtaining whatever I ask of you. I trust in you because you are the sweet Mother, I confide in you because you are the Mother of Jesus. In this trust I place myself, sure of being heard in everything; with this trust in my heart I greet you "my Mother, my trust", I devote myself entirely to you, begging you to remember that I am yours, that I belong to you; keep me and defend me, 0 sweet Mary, and in every instant of my life, present me to your Son, Jesus."

Blessed Gianna composed this prayer of consecration to Mary:

"0 Jesus, I promise You to submit myself to all that You permit to happen to me, make me only know Your Will."

Novena To Obtain Graces Through Saint Gianna Beretta Molla

God, our Father, you have granted to your church the gift of Gianna Beretta Molla. In her youth she lovingly sought you and drew other young people to you, involving them, through apostolic witness and Catholic who soothes the sufferings of men. Treasuring her example may we become generous Christians at the service of our brothers and sisters, especially those with whom you deign to share your Cross.

Glory be…

God, Sanctifying Spirit, who love the Church as your Bride, you poured into the heart of Saint Gianna a share of your Love so that she could radiate it in her family, and thus cooperate with you in the wonderful plan of creation, and give life to new children who could not know and love you.

We thank you for this model wife and, through her encouraging witness, we beg you to grant to our families the serene and Christian presence of mothers committed to transform them into cenacles of faith and love, rich with generous activity and who soothes the sufferings of men. Treasuring her example may we become generous Christians at the service of our brothers and sisters, especially those with whom you deign to share your Cross.

Glory be…

God, Sanctifying Spirit, who love the Church as your Bride, you poured into the heart of Saint Gianna a share of your Love so that she could radiate it in her family, and thus cooperate with you in the wonderful plan of creation, and give life to new children who could not know and love you.

We thank you for this model wife and, through her encouraging witness, we beg you to grant to our families the serene and Christian presence of mothers committed to transform them into cenacles of faith and love, rich with generous activity and sanctifying service.

Glory be…

O God, Creator and lover of mankind, you were close to Saint Gianna when, affected by illness, she was in the painful dilemma of choosing between her own life and the life of the child whom she was carrying in herself, a gift long-awaited. Trusting you alone, and aware of your Commandment to respect human life, Gianna found the courage to do her duty as a mother and to say “yes” to the new life of her baby, generously sacrificing her own. Through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Jesus, and after the example of Gianna, inspire all mothers to welcome with love the sparkle of new life. Grant us the grace we are praying for …………. and the joy to find in Saint Gianna who, as a model spouse and mother, after the example of Christ, gave up her life for the life of others.

Hail Mary…

Litany of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us

Response: Have mercy on usGod the Father in Heaven.God the Son, Redeemer of the world.God the Holy Spirit.Holy Trinity, one God.

Response: Pray for us

Holy Mary.St. Joseph.St. Michael the Archangel.

St. Gianna, filled with love for God.St. Gianna, filled with love for children.St. Gianna, filled with love for Our Lady and her Rosary.St. Gianna, filled with love for the Most Blessed Sacrament.St. Gianna, who sought the will of God in all things.St. Gianna, generous with those in need.St. Gianna, devoted to prayer.St. Gianna, willing to lay down your life for the sake of the gospel.St. Gianna, patient in suffering.St. Gianna, united to Jesus on the Cross.St. Gianna, called to the vocation of marriage.St. Gianna, who welcomed children as a blessing.St. Gianna, physician to the ill.St. Gianna, faithful daughter of the church.St. Gianna, witness to the sanctity of human life.

Response: Deliver us Lord through theintercession of St. Gianna

From neglecting God through prayer.From refusing to se God in the sick and poor.From callousness to the sufferings of others.From selfishness.From a lack of trust in God’s providence.From blindness to the dignity of the human person.From denial that human life begins at conception.

Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world,Spare us, O Lord.Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world,Graciously hear us, O Lord.Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world,Have mercy on us.

Let us pray.

Lord of life, we thank You for the heroic witness of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla. You have taught us that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for others. Saint Gianna did this, not only as she gave birth to her last child, but also in her everyday life as she died to herself so that she could live wholly for You. What selflessness we see in her! Help us, we pray, that through the intercession of Saint Gianna, our society may regain a sense of the sacredness of all human life. Fill us with her spirit of courage to suffer any struggle rather than deny You and the sanctity of human life. We ask You this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Easter-won

“If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child—I insist on it. Save the baby.” St Gianna Molla

Every day is a preparation for the moment one might be called to make heroic choice. St Gianna Molla took such words to heart and proved to make the heroic choice she faced with unflinchingly and resolutely, to lay her life down for her preborn child’s life in imitation of Christ laying down his life for His Church.

Gianna’s preparation began upon being born on the feast day of St Francis, October 4, 1922 in Magenta, Italy to Alberto and Marie Beretta, two Secular Franciscans. She was the tenth child of 13 with five of them dying in early age. Her parents considered their children’s education as a manner for God to work through and prepare their souls for his work through them. The parents were not poor, but lived with great simplicity, modestly and with much joy. Their children’s religious training was serious matter for the parents and had the children accompany them to daily Mass each morning and in praying the Rosary every evening. With daily prayer and study under her parents and her oldest sister Amelia, Gianna was ready for and was granted permission to receive her First Communion at the age of 5 and received Confirmation two years later. She would be a daily communicant until the day she died.

At the age of fifteen, Gianna lost her sister of 26 years age. She had been Gianna’s confidant and was certainly an emotional loss for her. But, the following year she went with another sister to a retreat on the spiritual exercises of St Ignatius that would affect her for the rest of her life.

Her parents both died by her age of twenty and her siblings and she moved to their grandparents home. It was at this time and through her studies that Gianna became involved in Catholic Action and the Society of St Vincent de Paul, working among the elderly and needy. She often exhorted the members to “be living witnesses of the greatness and beauty of Christianity.” She also often encouraged them not to be afraid to defend God, the Church, the Pope and his priests. Saint Maria Goretti was an inspiration for her. She would later frequently be elected to positions of leadership of Catholic Action. She took to heart their motto of prayer, action, and sacrifice.

Her parents encouraged their children to pursue a profession that would enable them to serve humanity. Of her nine surviving siblings, there were two priests, one nun, two physicians, one engineer, and one pharmacist. In Gianna’s case, she sought a medical degree and practice. Throughout her studies, Gianna invoked Our Lady of Desperate Cases. She would earn her degree in medicine and surgery in 1949 and specialize in pediatric care in 1952.

Discerning it not to be the will of God for her to do missionary work in Brazil, she commented that, “All the Lord’s ways are beautiful because their end is one and the same: to save our own soul and to succeed in leading many other souls to heaven, to give glory to God.” She instead established her medical practice, collaborating with her brother who was also a doctor, in Meser (near Magenta), Italy.

She established her medical practice and would not let her work interfere with her pursuit of sports and interests. She was a skier and mountain climber. She enjoyed fashion, the symphony, and opera. She also included painting among her recreations. She was the one who would organize outings, parties, and games with the intention of encouraging her friends in the love of God and neighbor.

As a doctor, Gianna would view her medical work as her ”mission” to help the suffering members of the Body of Christ. Her patients were viewed as a whole being, body and soul, before God. She would say of her profession:

“Everyone works in the service of man. We doctors work directly on man himself... The great mystery of man is Jesus: 'He who visits a sick person, helps me,' Jesus said... Just as the priest can touch Jesus, so do we touch Jesus in the bodies of our patients... We have opportunities to do good that the priest doesn't have. Our mission is not finished when medicines are no longer of use. We must bring the soul to God; our word has some authority... Catholic doctors are so necessary!”

She would often be confronted with situations with parents panicking over a troubled, risky of unwanted pregnancy. She her role as their physician as one to encourage them through the darker moments and did just that. She also often volunteered her services to local organizations. Pertaining to the cases where a mother’s life is in danger, she expressed her belief in the sacredness of all life in her writing:

“The doctor should not meddle. The right of the child is equal to the right of the mother’s life. The doctor can’t decide; it is a sin to kill in the womb.”

She began a friendship with Pietro Molla in 1954; and they were engaged and married in April and September of 1955, respectively. Between 1956 and 1959, St Gianna gave birth to one son and two daughters: in order Pierluigi; Maria Zita; and Laura.

Her fourth pregnancy took on a serious complication by the end of its second month. Doctors had diagnosed her to have a cancerous tumor in her uterus that threatened her life and required surgery immediately. There was a sense among the doctors that maybe the abortion of her baby would be best for Gianna’s health. Gianna was adamant that the surgery was to bring no harm to the child she was carrying. Knowledgeable of the health risks that surgery and the continued pregnancy would bear for her, Gianna told the surgeons:

“Yes, I have prayed so much in these days. With faith and hope I have entrusted myself to the Lord…I trust in God, yes; but now it is up to me to fulfill my duty as a mother. I renew to the Lord the offer of my life. I am ready for everything, to save my baby.”

The surgery would be successful in removing the large ovarian cyst and not harming the child that she was carrying. The cyst proved to be cancerous and she continued to carry the child for the remaining seven months. Throughout this pregnancy, Gianna invoked Our Lady of Desperate Cases.

A few days before the baby was due, she again stated that she was prepared to give her life in order to save her preborn child’s life. She had said, “If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child—I insist on it. Save the baby.”

Near her due date, Gianna was admitted to Monza Maternity Hospital. Her daughter, little Gianna Emanuela, was born the next day, on Holy Saturday. It was clear then that Gianna also had a life-threatening septic peritonitis; an abscess in the abdomen with or without buildup of fluids. She suffered great pain and would not take pain medication because she felt it would not be right to appear before the Lord without much suffering. The physical pain was only exceeded by her pain for leaving her four children without a mother. Seven days after delivering her fourth child, Gianna succumbed to death.

Pietro Molla said of his wife after her death, "Above all, I remember her total trust in Providence and her full and perfect joy at the birth of each child." He added, "Gianna's decision to offer her own life to save that of her child had deep roots: in marriage -- which she felt to be a sacrament, the sacrament of love --and in the heroism of her maternal love and her total conviction that the right to life of the unborn is sacred."

A miracle attributed to her intercession was experienced by Elisabete Arcolino Comparini. In early 2000, the third child Elisabete had conceived began to have serious problems. In the third month of pregnancy, the young mother lost all the amniotic fluid. Without that natural protection, the fetus should have died. But the baby girl was born in May 2000, an event inexplicable to science. Her parents, who had decided to pray through the intercession of Blessed Gianna, called the baby Gianna Maria.

On April 24, 1994, Pope John Paul II beatified Gianna Beretta Molla at St Peter’s Square in Rome and on May 16, 2004, he then canonized her as a saint.

St Gianna Beretta Molla was a Pro-Life Saint who lived in the lay state as a wife and a mother of four children, and worked as a physician in pediatric care.

There is the Shrine of Saint Gianna located in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, PA at the Nativity of Our Lord Church at 625 West Street Road in Warminster, PA 18974. Their phone number is 215-672-3551.

Easter-won

On Sunday, May 16, 2004, Pope John Paul II canonized Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla, a wife, mother and pediatrician. Gianna's story is rather extraordinary, especially since her husband and children are still alive. There is a special Canadian and Basilian connection to Gianna's story through the Newman Centre at the University of Toronto.Mr. Pietro Molla, husband of Saint Gianna, invited me to serve on the Canonization Committee last year, and then asked Salt+Light Television Network in Toronto to produce the formal documentary on Saint Gianna Molla that will be presented on the eve of her canonization in Rome. Salt+Light Television was granted the exclusive rights to interview the saint's family, to have access to all family movies, documents, and photos earlier this year. The documentary, entitled Love is a Choice, is in its final stages of editing and will air on Canadian Catholic television in May 2004.

Mother, doctor, and lover of lifeGianna Beretta Molla was born in Magenta (Milan), Italy, on October 4, 1922, the 10th of 13 children. After earning degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Pavia in 1949, she opened a medical clinic in Mesero (near Magenta) in 1950. She specialized in pediatrics at the University of Milan in 1952 and thereafter gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly, and the poor. While working in the field of medicine-which she considered a "mission" and practised as such - she increased her generous service to Catholic Action, especially among the "very young." She became engaged to Pietro Molla and they were married on September 24, 1955 in St. Martin's Basilica in Magenta. In November 1956, to her great joy, she became the mother of Pierluigi; in December 1957 of Mariolina; in July 1959 of Laura. She met the demands of mother, wife, doctor and her passion for life with simplicity and great balance. In September 1961, towards the end of the second month of pregnancy with her fourth child, Gianna had to make a heroic decision. Physicians diagnosed a serious fibroma in the uterus that required surgery. The surgeon suggested that Gianna undergo an abortion in order to save her own life. A few days before the child was due, she was ready to give her life in order to save that of her child: "If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate. Choose the child - I insist on it. Save the baby."On the morning of April 21, 1962, her daughter Gianna Emanuela was born. Despite all efforts and treatments to save both of them, on the morning of April 28, amid unspeakable pain and after repeated exclamations of "Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you," the mother died. She was 39 years old. Her husband Pietro has described Gianna's life as "an act and a perennial action of faith and charity; it was a non-stop search for the will of God for every decision and for every work, with prayer and meditation, Holy Mass and the Eucharist."On April 24, 1994, Pope John Paul II beatified Gianna Beretta Molla, mother of a family, in St. Peter's Square in Rome. The Pope said that her witness was a hymn to life. At the beatification ceremony, the Holy Father said that Gianna's action for life was possible only after a life of preparation.St. Gianna Molla continues to remind the Church and the world of the necessity of a consistent ethic of life, from the earliest moments to the final moments of human life. We are being called to heroism by our choice of life. Let us ask St. Gianna to give us the courage to take the next step.

The Newman Centre of TorontoOn the Feast of All Saints on the eve of the Great Jubilee in 1999, a stained glass window of Blessed Gianna Molla was installed in the chapel of the Newman Centre of Toronto. The window was unveiled by Pierluigi Molla and Gianna Emmanuela Molla, son and daughter of the Blessed.

Text of Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla:I am very honoured and moved to be here today with all of you and I thank Fr. Thomas Rosica with all my heart, and his staff, the parishioners and friends of the Newman Centre who are present at this important ceremony. Three days ago, when Padre Tom showed me the church windows for the first time and I saw my mother smiling, I was filled with joy and so pleased, because I have always imagined her in this way, knowing that the message of her life couldn't be represented better.Every moment of her entire existence was a real testimony of Christian love and faith, lived concretely and with joy in everyday life: as a young girl, as a fiancée and wife, as a mother and doctor. She always trusted in Divine Providence and she has crowned her exemplary life in the name of a love without measure. She is always with me and since the momentous day of April 24, 1994, I have felt myself to be part of an ever growing family comprised of so many people throughout the world who, like me, pray to her, confide in her, and feel close to her. I believe that this is also the design of Divine Providence, that now I shall never be alone.Dear Mom, I ask you to fill me and all those who suffer and are in difficulty with your own strength of soul, your hope, your courage to live life to the full. Protect and help all mothers, their families and all who turn to you and entrust their needs to you. I now invite you to pray with me the prayer to my mother:

God, you who are Father, we give you praiseand we bless youbecause in Gianna Beretta MollaYou have given and have made known a womanwho witnessed the GospelAs a young person, as a bride, as a mother and a doctor.We thank you because through the gift of her life[my mother's life],We learn to accept and honor every human being.You, Lord Jesus, were for her privileged reference;She was able to know you in the beauty of nature.As she questioned her choice of life she was in search of Youand of the best way to serve You.Through her married love she became a sign of your lovefor the Church and for humanity;Like you, Good Samaritan,she stopped at the side of every sick person, small and weak;After your example and for love,she gave herself entirely, generating new life.Holy Spirit, font of every perfection,Give also to us wisdom, intelligence, and courageafter the example of Gianna [my mother],and through her intercession,In her personal, family, and professional life,we are able to put ourselves at the service of every personand grow in this way in love and in holiness.Amen.

Text of Mr. Pierluigi Molla:I am deeply grateful to Fr. Thomas Rosica and the Newman Centre of Toronto and would like to express my gratitude for three reasons:

.for having chosen the beautiful and endearing image of my mother, now Blessed, to be among "this cloud of witnesses" of holy ones of this century, particularly in the company of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, Blessed Brother André, Franz Jägerstätter, Archbishop Romero, and Georges and Pauline Vanier; as well as St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta [whose images appear in theNewman Centre windows].

.for the welcome invitation to participate in this most beautiful ceremony of blessing and dedication;

.and for his most cordial visit to our home in Milan several weeks ago on September 26.

Accompanying my thanks is the gratitude of my father, Pietro, and that of my sisters Laura and Gianna Emanuela, who is here with me; our aunts and uncles - brothers and sisters of our mother, Fr. Alberto, a Capuchin who was a missionary in Brazil, Monsignor Giuseppe Beretta, Mother Virginia of the Cannosiana Sisters, and Zita. You must also know of the gratitude of my wife Lisi who is here present with me.Already in March 1986, the witness and message of my mother had spread to Newfoundland, where the Natural Family Planning Association had printed in a newsletter a brief biographical profile of mom, entitled "A Portrait of Love." In December 1990, in the city of Vancouver, Gianna House, a pro-life support centre, was opened for women. We were touched and consoled to know of the richness of the witness and message of my mother, even before the cause for her beatification was concluded. Then almost six years ago, in December 1993, with great joy we were very moved that the Friends of Gianna Society had begun in Vancouver. In February 1997, we were again deeply touched to read in the Family Life section of the weekly BC Catholic, a beautiful article by Marie Luttrell, entitled "For Courage, Faith and Humility"- an article which focused on the roots of the choices and the exemplary life of my mother.On April 24, 1994, in St. Peter's Square in Rome, His Holiness Pope John Paul II proclaimed Gianna Beretta Molla, Mother of a Family, "Blessed." From that moment onward until today, the number of friends of my mother in Canada has grown to be so many. Today we have the honour of seeing my mother honored by all those present, especially by so many young people and all of those who minister to them at the Newman Centre Catholic Mission at the University of Toronto. This Centre truly represents what my mother lived for and died for: Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Life.There are three reasons why I think it is so important to have the image of my mother placed in the chapel of the Newman Centre:First, the witness of my mother was a hymn to life, to a love for life, and the beautiful things of life; it was a hymn to a faith lived with joy and nourished by the Eucharist and by prayer. Even in her medical profession, she knew how to see Jesus in her neighbour whom she loved and served with such great generosity.Second, my mother knew how to live her earthly, daily existence with simplicity, balance, and constant service, all in a beautiful harmony, first as a young student and professional person, as a woman, then as wife and mother. Her generous commitment to and involvement in the Catholic Action and to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, along with her joie de vivre, was crowned with her love of piano, painting, tennis, mountain climbing, skiing, the symphony, theatre, and traveling.Third, even in her earliest youth, my mother fully accepted the gift of faith and an explicitly Christian education received from her excellent parents who, in their vigilant wisdom, knew how to accompany her in her human and Christian growth. Whether it was in her youth, in primary school, in her secondary education, or in her university courses in medical school, Gianna received from exemplary priests, religious, and from wise professors, a pedagogical formation that was clearly in harmony with Cardinal John Henry Newman's idea of a university in which theology, the arts, and sciences would be taught in dialogue with one another.In her daily living, my mother was faithful to the pedagogical formation that she received and she knew how to transpose that formation into a joyful living of the Gospel, all the while being a brilliant example of true love and respect for life, even to the summit of the love that Jesus teaches in the Gospel: laying down one's life for one's friends.On April 25, 1994, the day after the Beatification, His Holiness Pope John Paul II in his address to an audience of pilgrims who had come to the ceremony, defined the life of my mother with these words: "What a heroic testimony her life was. a true hymn to life!" I firmly believe that today, the hymn of my mother's life has joyously resounded in the Newman Centre to pay honour to the life and witness of Cardinal John Henry Newman and to exemplify so beautifully the prophetic value and the full actualization of his ideas and desires for a strong commitment of lay people in the Church and the mutual dialogue between theology, the arts, and sciences.Once again, my most profound gratitude to Fr. Thomas Rosica and all those here present.